As will be readily understood by those skilled in the art (and to the public, in general), ransomware is becoming increasingly prevalent. Ransomware, generally, is a particular type of malicious software (e.g., from cryptovirology) that threatens to publish the victim's data or perpetually block access to it unless a ransom is paid. While some simple ransomware may lock the system in a way which is not difficult for a knowledgeable person to reverse, more advanced malware uses a technique called cryptoviral extortion, in which it encrypts the victim's files, making them inaccessible, and demands a ransom payment to decrypt them. Though ransomware attacks are typically carried out using a Trojan that is disguised as a legitimate file that the user is tricked into downloading or opening when it arrives as an email attachment, other ransomware attacks can travel automatically between computers without user interaction.